(Photo by Nguyen, courtesy of Unsplash.com)
How to really let go of wanting the fruits of your efforts? The best way to let go is to realize what will happen if you do not let go. Ask yourself: “If I let go, what will happen? If I do not let go, what will happen?” Make a list of pros and cons. The main reason to let go of this wanting is that if you do not let go, then your mind gets agitated over it. Your mind will develop anxiety, and fear and worry will arise about what will happen if you don’t get the fruits.
The reason we practice Karma Yoga (selfless service) is because anything that you are attached to will affect your own peace of mind. Sometimes, we may not be concerned about the fruits of our efforts, but we may have a subtle desire to feel superior: “I’m doing Karma Yoga, which is a great service to others.” This kind of thinking can be a pitfall on the spiritual path. Please don’t think that by Karma Yoga—by letting the fruit go—you are doing great service to others. Others sometimes can survive without service. They don’t have to depend on you. You’re not the only one to do such service.
Sometimes we think, “Oh, I am helping somebody.” That’s nonsense. Don’t ever develop that kind of attitude: “I’m helping somebody.” Who are you to help? That’s arrogance. Yes, sometimes people ask, “How can I help Yogaville?” I say, “Yogaville doesn’t require your help. On the other hand, Yogaville is ready to serve you. If you want to get the service, then come—you are welcome!”
Be careful. The ego finds all sorts of ways to put you in a kind of sense of superiority so you feel you are there to help somebody. No. It’s a wrong notion. Instead, by offering your service, you are helping yourself to find your peace. If you are looking for the fruit of your actions, you may get disappointed and lose your peace. The very first commandment to Adam was: “Don’t eat the fruit.” In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna said the same thing: “Don’t eat the fruit.”
You might even wonder, “Why are we asked not to eat the fruit? I do something by my own efforts, so don’t I deserve the benefit? Why should anybody say, ‘No, you should not get the result’? It doesn’t make any sense.” But if you think deeply, there is a greater benefit when you don’t look for the benefit. By not looking for the fruit, you retain your peace, your joy. The joy of having done something is enough. That’s your reward. Nobody should need to thank you for that. Your own joy is the benefit: “I have done it to the best of my ability, and that’s enough.” What greater benefit do you need?
In this way, you retain your peace. You may say, “Well, all right, if I go to work in an office, shouldn’t I look for the paycheck?” I would say, “If you really value your peace above all else, then just do your job and the paycheck will come to you.” If what you do is for the paycheck, then when it comes you may begin to feel, “For all I do, this is all I receive?” Somehow it will begin to disturb your mind because you’re looking for something. Or, if you get a little more than you looked for, you get excited. And that excitement itself is dangerous, because to get more excited you will look for a little more. It becomes an addiction then. All these expectations bind us.
If you really value your peace and freedom, then don’t simply look for rewards. Maintain your peace. And that’s what is meant by “Seek the kingdom, and everything else will be added unto you.” Where is that kingdom? It is within you as peace.
Another point is to understand that no employer, nor anyone else, can take away something that you deserve. If something hasn’t been given to you, know that you didn’t deserve it. If you do deserve it, it will be provided. That kind of faith we should have: “What I deserve, I will positively get, and what I do not deserve, even if I fight, I will not get.”
You may ask, “If I am sure of getting the result, where is the harm in wanting it?” See how the mind works in a peculiar way? If you are sure to get the result, why do you want to expect it? It will come by itself. Your expectation itself makes you miserable. For those who are interested in peace of mind, they will recognize that this is the greatest treasure in the world. All the rest is nothing if you don’t have peace of mind.
Sometimes, even in the name of saving the world, we lose our peace of mind. Imagine if you are standing on a platform and shouting, “Hey, I have a way to save the world. Come, listen to me,” and nobody comes. Then you get disappointed. You want to give peace of mind, but you lose your peace because nobody got it from you.
In simple words, if at all there is one great treasure in the world—one that should be sought—it is peace of mind. All other things are nothing compared to this. And once you get that peace of mind, all the rest will follow automatically. People, material things, name, fame—everything will love to be with you if you are peaceful and if you don’t run after them.
